Expect growth in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou that area of the new economic development zone area where there’s been a lot of growth. Yet we got to Chengdu that’s considered an area that’s lesser developed and we’re there and there’s a shopping mall that is as impressive as any street shopping area that we have been. It was hard to find anybody under 25 years old, everyone is carrying a bag this was an impressive sight in an area considered the Southwest a long ways away from the coast. Western restaurants there as well and they’re feeding and using meat supply that has to be fed imported soybean meal.

One of the refrains used a lot was, “We’ve seen the future of China and we are not going back to the way things used to be.” In fact, this is so institutionalized it was impressive to hear the word market used and price used so many times. We said is your business going to expand into integrated livestock production and they said was it depends on the markets, it wasn’t it depends on the government policy or it depends on the 5-year plan, it was depends on the markets. And we constantly heard that, and in fact one of the other phrases we heard when we asked what can we do better for you and they said oh that’s simple it’s all in the price well it got more complex when we started talking about delivery speeds, but certainly price matters and they are very much a market economy now.

China is still one country that remains a mystery to me in this information age, it’s one of history and tradition vs. future and change.

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About Me

I am a fourth generation farmer from Spirit Lake, Iowa who grows corn and soybeans. After graduating from Iowa State University in 1981, I returned to Spirit Lake to farm with my grandfather.
I am serving my first term as Secretary of Agriculture after being elected in November of 2006.
My priorities as Secretary of Agriculture are advancing the opportunities available through renewable energy, promoting conservation and stewardship, and telling the story of Iowa agriculture.

Town Hall Meetings

Secretary Northey is meeting with Iowans in each of the state’s 99 counties again this year to discuss the status of agriculture in the state and answer questions.

“I learned a lot about all that is going on in agriculture through the town meetings I hosted across the state last year and I’m confident this year will be no different,” Northey said. “I’m excited to hear from Iowans, both farmers and non-farmers alike, about the issues facing agriculture and the opportunities available through this industry.”